Earlier in the week, Suzuki Malaysia, via distributor Naza Eastern Motors, teased the launch of the eVitara EV for the local market. As promised, the electric vehicle has now been launched, complete with its price tag. As it turns out, we got the FWD model that our southern neighbour Indonesia got, rather than the AWD model of our northern neighbour. Which makes the prior teaser back in August an interesting choice in retrospect.
As mentioned at the time, the FWD Suzuki eVitara comes with a front motor that outputs 128 kW and 193 Nm. Its battery capacity and performance figures are comparable to the AWD model. As in, it has a similar 61 kWh battery pack, and a top speed of 150 km/h, but its century sprint time is noted to be 8.7 seconds. The company has now also provided a WLTP range figure of 426km, DC charging that brings the battery from 10% to 80% in 45 minutes, and 7kW AC charging that goes from 10% to 100% in about nine hours.
The integrated display system (IDS) is here too, with a 10.25-inch instrument panel for the driver connected to the 10.1-inch infotainment display at the centre. You get a USB-A and a USB-C port both in front and at the back. For the ones in front, these are found beneath the floating centre console. The steering wheel is what the company describes as a “squircle”, with the top and bottom parts flattened out.
Safety features of the Suzuki eVitara include adaptive cruise control and high beam, lane keep assist and departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, surround view monitor, parking sensors, as well as multiple collision braking. All of this is augmented with a 360-degree camera system with both birds-eye and eye-level views.
As for what it costs, the Suzuki eVitara is priced at RM188,000. Buyers will get a five-year unlimited mileage vehicle warranty, a five-year / 100,000km BEV components warranty, and an eight-year / 160,000km battery warranty. Available basic colours are Celestial Blue Pearl Metallic, and Bluish Black Pearl. For RM1,000 extra, you can get the two-tone Land Breeze Green Pearl Metallic, Splendid Silver Pearl Metallic and Grandeur Grey Pearl Metallic, all of which are paired with Bluish Black Pearl.
